Sone Capital Management LLC Buys 4,440 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Sone Capital Management increased its Meta Platforms stake by 38.2% in the second quarter, purchasing 4,440 additional shares for a total of 16,059 shares valued at approximately $9.05 million.
• Institutional investors own roughly 79.9% of Meta’s stock, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $788.88.
• Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.80 billion, up 28% year over year, but earnings per share of $6.18 fell short of the $7.19 consensus estimate. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while insiders sold approximately $51.2 million of stock over the past three months.

Sone Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 38.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,059 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares during the period. Sone Capital Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $9,046,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after buying an additional 105,154,977 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $34,734,628,000 after acquiring an additional 878,396 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $22,152,075,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Meta Platforms by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,013,948,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,715 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

META has been the subject of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $785.00 price objective (down from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Phillip Securities raised shares of Meta Platforms to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and issued a $886.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $788.88.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META opened at $665.75 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $606.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $609.79. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $790.80. The company has a market cap of $1.70 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.08, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.14 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.91%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 81,758 shares of company stock worth $51,214,020 in the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse personal AI agent reached No. 1 on Apple’s U.S. free-app chart, surpassing ChatGPT roughly one week after launch. Its ability to handle shopping, bookings, email and phone calls could give Meta a significant consumer-AI growth platform and strengthen the case for future subscriptions or commerce revenue. Meta's Muse tops Apple's US free app chart
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Meta’s internally developed MTIA AI chips could save approximately $8.5 billion in 2027 by reducing reliance on third-party processors. Custom silicon could improve the economics of Meta’s expanding AI infrastructure over time. Meta Can Save $8.5 Billion in 2027 by Using Its Own MTIA Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and upcoming product announcements remain potential catalysts. Rosenblatt reiterated a Buy rating, while investors are looking ahead to Meta Connect on September 23 for additional AI, glasses and subscription details. Meta Earns Buy Rating from Rosenblatt Securities
• Neutral Sentiment: Muse’s early popularity is encouraging, but analysts disagree on its financial impact. The generous free tier may accelerate adoption while delaying revenue and increasing computing costs; consumer distrust of Meta and the need to provide sensitive account data could also limit paid conversion. Meta’s Muse Agent Has Wall Street Divided on Its AI Potential
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are taking profits after META rose roughly 23%–24% over the past month. Valuation and expectations have risen quickly, increasing sensitivity to any evidence that AI spending will not generate near-term earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment program is placing significant pressure on cash flow. Articles highlighted a more than 90% decline in free cash flow as capital expenditures rise, raising concerns about the payback period for data centers, chips and other infrastructure. Meta Versus Oracle: AI Capex Payback Velocity
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and reputational pressure is increasing. A German court held Meta liable for fraudulent third-party ads, while regulators and its Oversight Board criticized safeguards against deepfakes and nonconsensual filming involving its smart glasses. These issues could increase compliance costs and threaten user trust. German Court Rules Meta Liable for Fake Ads
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Product Officer Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares worth approximately $13.5 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The planned nature reduces the signal, but the sale may still weigh modestly on sentiment. SEC Insider Trading Filing

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

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